Golf club



G. CARNEY GOLF CLUB Filed Aug. 28, 1941 mama.

Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF CLUB George Carney, Duluth, Minn.

Application August 28, 1941, Serial No. 408,639

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in golf clubs, and is particularly applicable to or useful when combined with one of the so-called woods such as the driver or the like which are commonly used to impart the maximum distance possible to the flight of the golf ball.

One of the most common faults of golfers is that they pick up the club away from the ball and dont pivot. When the ball is teed up preparatory to the drive, it will be observed that the best golfers always drag the club along the ground for at least 16" before elevating it back of the golfer in preparation for the downward stroke to hit the ball. This dragging of the club along the ground will automatically make the golfer pivot, keep his head steady, keep the swing on plane, and give the ball the much desired overspin.

It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide a means associated with the golf club head that will keep the golfer conscious that he is dragging his club along the ground during the back stroke of his drive.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the striking face and sole of the golf club.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sound producing roller.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the sole of the club with the sole plate removed.

In the drawing, I represents the head of the club, 2 the striking face and 3 the sole thereof, while 4 represents a comparatively thin metal plate let into the surface of the sole and removably held therein as by suitable screws indicated at 5. This plate is provided with a rectangularly shaped opening for the reception of the sound producing roller 6, and the roller is supported upon the shaft indicated at l. The shaft 1 is designed to extend somewhat from either end of the roller and be held tightly at either end of said opening by the plate 4 when secured to the sole of the club. The roller is thus free to rotate upon the shaft and to move longitudinally thereof at least to the limits of the openings within the plate 4 and the head, it being understood that there is a similar opening within the head which registers with the opening in the plate 4.

One end of the roller 6 is provided with a plurality of radially disposed grooves indicated at 8, forming tooth-like projections 9 thereupon, and which projections or teeth are designed to engage the inwardly extending edge In of the relatively small spring brass plate II. This plate H is so positioned at one corner of the opening in the head as to project slightly inwardly of the like opening in the plate 4 so that the slightest movement of the roller 6 towards the plate H will cause the teeth 9 to engage such protruding edge and corner of the plate I.

This engagement of the toothed end of the roller with the plate is designed for producing a sound, audible to the golfer, so that he may sense, audibly, the contact of his club with the ground.

It is to be understood, of course, that the pressure of the plate 4 when held within the recess provided for same by the screws 5, the sound producing plate, as well as the ends of the shaft 1, will be firmly clamped or held in position for engagement by the roller 6 as before stated.

It will be noted too that the position of the roller in the head of the club is such that when the golfer is swinging with the club, the roller is automatically thrust towards the sound plate, and thus when using a club equipped with such a device, he is also conscious of the position of his club with respect to the ground. Most golfers pick the club up away from the ball and dont pivot, and, being a golf professional for upwards of' twenty-five years, and observin the best golfers in the world, who all drag the club along the ground and stress the importance of same, it is applicants opinion that if every golfer would drag the club back along the ground, in preparati'on for his drive, it will automatically make him pivot, keep his head steady, keep the swing of the club on plane, and give the ball overspin.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the principal feature of the invention is to provide a golf club, which, when dragged along the ground, will create a sound and thus denote to a golfer using such a club that it is being dragged along the ground, which is the proper method of taking the club back.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A golf club having a head, a plate recessed in the bottom surface of said head, an opening through said plate, a recess within said head under said opening, rotatable means within and projecting slightly from said opening, and other means engaging said first mentioned means to cause a sound upon rotation of said rotatable means, whereby a golfer may be made conscious of dragging said club along the ground and thereby rotating said roller preparatory to striking a golf ball.

2. In a golf club having a head with a fiat sole portion, a roller within and projecting slightly from said sole, teeth formed upon said roller and means engaging said teeth to produce a sound when the roller is rotated by engagement with the ground, whereby a golfer may be made conscious of dragging his club along the ground preparatory to striking a ball.

GEORGE CARNEY. 

